


You, Me, Paris

by CloversDreams



Category: Great Pretender (Anime), SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Banter, Cherry and Joe return to France, Established Relationship, M/M, Mild Language, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Traveling Together, as a couple this time, both couples are soo in love, for both ships!, where they meet Makoto and Laurent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:33:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29880507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloversDreams/pseuds/CloversDreams
Summary: Since Kaoru's business happened to be taking him to the dessert capital of the world, there was no way he couldn’t invite Kojiro. That guy would never let him live it down. There was absolutely no way Kaoru would give him something to gripe about until the day he died. Plus, it was a familiar setting for the both of them. The two of them had been to France together in the past, but that was before they were dating. It was an entirely different situation now.“Hmm.”“What is it?” Kaoru asked.Kojiro looked up at the sign above the café. He tilted his head and replied, “The name of this place translates to ‘A Little Confidence’. That’s interesting.”
Relationships: Edamura Makoto/Laurent Thierry, Nanjo Kojiro | Joe/Sakurayashiki Kaoru | Cherry Blossom
Comments: 8
Kudos: 87





	You, Me, Paris

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you read the title with a silent s at the end ;)

Traveling for work was such a hassle. Kaoru wouldn’t lie and say he was fond of it. Sure, his trips were usually paid for and he got to see new places, but he preferred not to have to leave Japan if he could avoid it. In this case, his client absolutely couldn’t meet him there. Unfortunately, it was a job that he simply couldn’t turn down. That meant that Kaoru had no choice but to be the one to travel.

Since his business happened to be taking him to the dessert capital of the world, there was no way he couldn’t invite Kojiro. That guy would never let him live it down. There was absolutely no way Kaoru would give him something to gripe about until the day he died. Plus, it was a familiar setting for the both of them.

The two of them had been to France together in the past, but that was before they were dating. Even now the word still sounded strange to him. Maybe that was because of the confessions in the heat of the moment during an argument. Though that quickly died down to them both being too surprised to continue yelling over a trivial thing. The yelling match turned into a serious conversation they’d put off for far too long.

Kaoru was still in disbelief about the whole thing and it had been just over two months. If they’d both been harboring these feelings towards one another then what the heck were they doing all these years? Wasting time? Impossibly long foreplay? He had no idea, but it certainly was ridiculous of them.

What he did know was that no one else made him feel the things Kojiro did, whether he liked it or not. Now the two of them were an item and in one of the most romantic places on Earth. Kaoru couldn’t begin to fathom any of it. At least they didn’t really have to change much between them when they officially took on the title of dating. It all fell into place so naturally it was a bit scary. Though after having time to really process things, he could say that the change was for the better.

They’d stopped at their hotel to drop off their bags once they arrived in the country. Of course Kojiro wanted to go right out and look for something to eat. The man only had two modes. However, Kaoru didn’t mind something light so he looked up a few nearby options. No going by Kojiro’s hunch this time. That lesson was learned. He wouldn’t risk such suffering after a long flight. They finally decided on a little coffee shop that was both nearby and had extremely high reviews then headed there immediately.

“Hmm.”

“What is it?” Kaoru asked.

Kojiro looked up at the sign above the building. He tilted his head and replied, “The name of this place translates to ‘A Little Confidence’. That’s interesting.”

“Who cares? I just need some caffeine, I’m jetlagged as f–” Kaoru stopped mid-sentence when Kojiro opened the door and the bells above it jingled. Then he grinned and motioned for Kaoru to go ahead and step inside. Not amused by that shit-eating grin, Kaoru made sure to _accidentally_ step on Kojiro’s foot as he walked by. Dating really hadn’t changed a thing between them. As soon as he thought it he stiffened at the feeling of hot breath against his ear.

“I’ll get you back for that later tonight, I promise,” Kojiro whispered.

A shiver ran down Kaoru’s spine and he stepped away from him then frowned as he rubbed his burning ear. Well, maybe _some_ things had changed. And he was looking forward to the guy making good on that declaration. Ugh. Younger him would never believe where they’d ended up. He looked around at all the tables full of customers chit-chatting among themselves. The place was busy, that was a good sign.

“Hello! Welcome!”

Both Kaoru and Kojiro looked towards the sound of the cheerful voice. They certainly hadn’t expected to be greeted in English. Behind a counter full of decadent looking pastries stood a dark-haired man with a wide smile upon his face. His thick frame glasses slid downward just a bit and he didn’t seem to mind. He simply stood there and continued to grin. His apron was covered in all sorts of stains, clearly from a long day of hard work. The crooked nametag on his apron said ‘Makoto.’

“ _Bonjour_ ,” Another voice said.

Kaoru and Kojiro turned to look at the other man who spoke. Blond. A mischievous grin upon his face. It looked like he was wearing the most expensive suit ever. Odd. Their eyebrows raised curiously when he spoke again.

“ _Parlez-vous anglais_?”

Kaoru nodded and replied, “Yes, we speak English.”

“Perfect. Then you’ll have no issue communicating your order.” The man replied in English with a thick French accent.

“I don’t need you to do that every time, Laurent,” Makoto grumbled.

“Yes, yes, I know, you’re perfectly capable of insulting customers all on your own,” Laurent snickered.

“That was one time!” Makoto shrieked. He narrowed his eyes at the blond as he added, “There are a lot of rules to the French language that I’m still learning!”

“It can be pretty tricky!” Kojiro laughed.

Makoto’s face lit up and he looked from Kojiro to Kaoru and back again then chirped, “Oh hey, your accent and clothes. Are you two Japanese by chance?”

“Guilty as charged,” Kojiro hummed.

“That’s great!” Makoto smiled from ear to ear. “I rarely see other folks from Japan around here. What brings you two to France?”

Kojiro motioned towards Kaoru with his thumb and replied, “He’s here to work. I’m here to eat.”

“Well that sounds familiar,” Makoto muttered with a glance at the snickering blond next to himself. He rolled his eyes then turned his attention back to Kaoru and Kojiro and hummed, “Anyhow, it’s nice to meet you both and I hope you enjoy your stay in this beautiful country. Do you know what you’d like to order?”

“I want whatever has the most caffeine,” Kaoru replied, “and add an extra shot of espresso.”

“Mhm. Got it.” Makoto hummed. He looked at Kojiro. “And for you, sir?”

Kojiro crossed his arms and looked over the menu hanging on the wall. He finally gave up trying to decide and said, “I’ll have whatever you think is the best drink up there. With whipped cream.”

Makoto nodded. He smiled, tilted his head, and chirped, “Coming right up!”

Kojiro put a gentle hand upon Kaoru’s lower back and leaned closer to him. “I’m going to go snag us that table by the window that’s free.”

Kaoru grumbled something under his breath about how he never agreed to pay but Kojiro was already gone. Makoto was busy getting the drinks made so Laurent stepped up to the cash register to ring up the purchase. Kaoru looked at the enticing desserts in the glass case below. He pointed to an array of decadent looking cookies and muttered, “I’ll also take a half-dozen of those.”

“An excellent choice.” Laurent nodded to himself as he retrieved the cookies from the case. He set them onto a small plate then finished ringing up the order. Once that was said and done he asked, “Is this your first time in France?”

“No, but…” Kaoru glanced over at Kojiro. He had a little smile on his face as he looked out the window and watched the people pass by. The inherent romance of the city had been totally lost on their younger selves. Perhaps this time they’d make the best of it. Kaoru was just thinking out loud as he continued, “It sort of feels like I’m seeing it for the first time.”

Laurent turned to look at what he was staring at. A crooked smile spread across his face and he let out a soft ‘ah’. When Kaoru turned back his way the blond tilted his head and hummed, “Love is wonderful, is it not?”

Kaoru’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second. He maintained his composure and usual frown, then glanced back at Kojiro just in time for the guy to turn his way and wave with a cheery smile. Kaoru shut his eyes and mumbled, “It has its moments.”

“A little word of advice, completely free of charge,” Laurent said with a wink, “you should take the object of your affection to the Eiffel Tower.”

“I bet you say that to all the tourists that stop in here,” Kaoru snorted. He could see right through this guy. They probably paid him a nice fee to butter people up then suggest such a thing and drum up business.

“ _Non_ ,” Laurent shook his head. “Only to those that have a love as strong as the one I know. That tower is magical, there’s no place on Earth nearly as romantic.” Laurent declared. He winked then held up a finger in front of his lips as if it was a secret then added, “I even proposed to my husband there.”

Makoto peeked his head out from behind the blond. His tone was as flat as the expression on his face when he muttered, “I said no.”

“That’s, um… romantic?” Kaoru replied with an unintentional upward inflection. He watched Laurent toss his arm around Makoto and start to laugh.

Laurent ruffled Makoto’s hair, much to the shorter man’s dismay. His grin stretched across his face, clearly tickled pink by the memory as he exclaimed, “He thought I was kidding at the time and frankly if you knew me you’d probably have thought the same thing!”

Kaoru eyed their wedding bands as he replied, “Since you said husband earlier I assume everything worked out in the end.”

“The next time we visited the tower _he_ proposed to me like the closeted romantic he is!” Laurent explained. “Of course I accepted and the rest is history.” The little hearts floating above his head were practically visible to the naked eye. “I can still picture just how his entire face was red with blush. He was so nervous that he almost dropped the ring!”

Makoto ducked out from under his arm and squeaked, “All right, that’s enough boring our customers with stories that start out kinda sweet and end up embarrassing!”

“But _mon amour_ –”

“No buts! Get out of here. Go schmooze with the customers like you always do.” Makoto gave him a shove to get him going then crossed his arms and frowned. Laurent sighed but did as he was instructed. Once he was out of earshot Makoto shook his head. He grabbed the two drinks off the counter behind himself then set them onto a tray in front of Kaoru. He placed the plate of cookies onto it as well while he said, “Word of advice, don’t listen to that guy. He’s a prick.”

“And yet you married him,” Kaoru replied. It was a curious situation to say the least.

“Yeah, well…” Makoto’s words trailed off and he stared at something behind the pink-haired man.

Kaoru turned around in time to see smiling Laurent hand a woman a napkin then crouch down and pat her daughter on the head. He grabbed a small cake from a nearby display stand and gave it to the excited child then held his finger over his lips and winked. The little girl squeaked happily and her mother chuckled then the pair took their leave.

Makoto started to wipe down the counter and said, “Sure, he's an asshole, but he’s _my_ asshole. Most days I wouldn’t trade him for the world.”

That struck a particular chord with Kaoru. He eyed Makoto curiously as he asked, “And the others?”

Makoto didn’t even need a chance to think about it. He immediately replied, “On those days I’d sell him to the highest bidder then go on a long vacation by myself.”

Kaoru huffed softly at that. He really needed to make an effort to hold back a laugh. It was both hilarious and incredibly relatable. He had quite a similar feeling towards the man in his life.

Even while saying such things with undeniable conviction Kaoru could see the unmistakable affection in Makoto’s eyes. It was similar to the look that Laurent had in his when telling that story earlier. The two of them really were hopelessly in love. There was no choice but to notice it. Kaoru was left to wonder if he and Kojiro would ever give off such a vibe.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind he found himself too embarrassed to stand around any longer. As if somehow his thought could be overheard. He thanked Makoto and took the tray then headed over to where his companion waited. When his presence wasn’t acknowledged, he set the tray onto the table just a bit harder than necessary.

Kojiro jumped and looked up from his phone. He locked it and put it into his pocket as he muttered, “Didn’t see you there.”

Kaoru sat across from him and asked, “Who were you flirting with this time that had you so distracted?”

“No one.” Kojiro rolled his eyes.

Laurent laughed loudly across the room and they both turned to look at him. He seemed to be in the middle of a conversation with a customer. The blond glanced at Kaoru and Kojiro, winked, and continued talking to the person without pause.

“Clearly,” Kaoru snorted.

“Hey, that guy’s a happily married man,” Kojiro replied. “I’d have no business flirting with him.”

“And you know that how?” Kaoru asked. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the green-haired man.

Kojiro shut his eyes and sighed, “If the wedding ring wasn’t a dead giveaway, it’d be obvious just by the way that he looks at the little guy with glasses.”

The two of them watched Makoto stomp over to Laurent and put his hands on his own hips. Even without being able to hear what was being said, it was obvious that the blond was being scolded from their body language alone. Laurent held up his hands in surrender and laughed which just seemed to make Makoto angrier.

Kojiro turned back towards the table and picked up his drink. He brought it to his mouth, blew on it, then said, “He kind of reminds me of you, actually. Got a lot of sass for such a small form.”

Kaoru watched Laurent kiss Makoto’s forehead, then the shorter man stand there with a frown upon his face. His face was red and it looked like it was hard to maintain such an expression but he was determined. Kaoru turned his attention back to their meal. He refused to admit that he also noticed that Laurent’s charisma, confidence, and stupid grin reminded him of Kojiro. Nope. Not with how sickeningly in love the pair were.

He took a sip of his coffee then hummed softly. It was delicious. That combined with service so friendly that it made you feel like you were chatting with an old acquaintance, it was no wonder the reviews for this place were so high. They’d chosen well for their snack.

“Hey, Kaoru, try this.”

There was half a cookie in his face before he even had time to register that he’d been spoken to. Kaoru leaned forward just a bit and opened his mouth, allowing Kojiro to place the cookie within. He sat back against the chair and nodded as he chewed. Kaoru hummed in approval then took a sip of his drink. He should’ve ordered more of those.

“It’s really good, right?” Kojiro asked as he grabbed another from the plate. He stuck the whole cookie into his mouth and mumbled, “If I had a French restaurant, I’d add it to the menu in a heartbeat.”

“You can always make it at home in your spare time,” Kaoru suggested. “Or when you have guests over.”

“You liked it that much, huh?” A crooked smile spread across Kojiro’s face. It was beyond obvious who Kaoru meant by ‘guests’. The guy was so transparent. His eyes shined with his amusement as he said, “Maybe I will.”

“Hello gentlemen. Is everything to your liking?”

Kaoru and Kojiro looked up at the visitor that stood by their table. Laurent was grinning at them as he waited for an answer. Kaoru nodded and replied, “It’s incredible, yes.”

Laurent winked then said, “I’m glad to hear it. Don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything else.”

“The recipe for this cookie would be great,” Kojiro muttered as he motioned to the last one on the plate.

Laurent chuckled, shook his head, then shrugged as he replied, “Anything but that, _monsieur_. My other half would kill me where I stand.”

“From one restaurateur to another,” Kojiro returned that wink from earlier, “I promise it’ll stay just between us.”

“Oh?” Laurent’s eyes widened with his intrigue. “What kind of restaurant do you own?”

Kojiro puffed out his chest proudly as he declared, “ _Sia la luce_ , an Italian place. It’s based out of Japan though so not nearby.”

“Ah, I see,” Laurent hummed. He nodded as he thought about it. “We do visit that country now and again since that’s where _mon ange_ is from. A lovely place.”

“It can be yes.” Kojiro agreed. “My restaurant certainly is.”

“We’ll have to pop in and say hello next time we’re in the country,” Laurent nodded. He tilted his head then asked, “Is there a reason you decided on Italian food?”

“My parents used to live in Italy,” Kojiro explained. “They cooked that kind of food at home all the time so it’s the first type of food I ever learned to make. To me Italian cuisine is basically the equivalent of a warm hug and I enjoy sharing that feeling with others.”

Kaoru looked up from his drink to watch Kojiro over the rim of his glasses. He had that smile on his face again. The one he always wore when he talked about cooking. It was warm, inviting, and full of wondrous memories. It was the kind of smile that’d make anyone weak in the knees, himself included. Luckily for him, he was already sitting and that wouldn’t be an issue. He could simply admire it as Kojiro chatted up their host.

The conversation suddenly switched languages and Kaoru found himself a bit surprised by the fluid transition. From the sound of it the pair were chatting in Italian. Of course they were. That happened to be one of the languages he didn’t even know the basics of. Kojiro taught him the swear words when they were younger but that was about it. He eyed the green-haired man for a moment then decided that it wasn’t such a big deal. The guy rarely ever got to talk to anyone in that language back home so he should enjoy himself while he could. Meanwhile Kaoru would finish off the last cookie since he was distracted and they really were incredible.

Someone called out to Laurent and he turned towards them. Kojiro took the momentary break in their conversation to sip his drink. Laurent turned back towards their table then said in English, “So sorry, duty calls.” He pat Kojiro on the shoulder and added, “I hope you and your _fidanzato_ enjoy your trip and that we’ll see you two in Japan one day.”

Kojiro choked on the sip of drink he’d taken. He managed to gulp it down then turned to find the blond had already left.

Kaoru eyed him for a moment before he finally asked, “What was that word he just used?”

“Nothing! Forget it!” Kojiro shook his head. He picked up his napkin to wipe his mouth afterwards, avoiding eye-contact with the pink-haired man. He immediately brought his drink back to his lips to avoid any more attempts at conversation.

It was probably for the best. Kaoru did prefer meals where there wasn’t an unnecessary amount of chatter. He finished off his drink as well, reveling in the rare silence between them.

Once he was finally done with his drink Kojiro leaned back in his chair and stretched. Afterwards he moved the empty mug aside and leaned his elbow on the table then rested his chin in his palm. “So we headed back to the hotel now? You’re tired, right?”

Kaoru took a final sip of his drink then set the mug down. He shut his eyes and replied, “I want to watch the sunset from the Eiffel Tower since I didn’t get to do that last time we visited.”

Kojiro’s eyes widened, genuinely surprised for a second. That melted into a grin and he nodded. “Sure, sounds fun.”

The journey to their next destination took just under twenty minutes. Kaoru and Kojiro took in the sights along the way. It was kind of incredible how it really did feel like they were seeing the country for the first time. Neither needed to ask which level of the tower they wanted to visit, the answer was obvious.

They took the elevator to the second level, neither in the mood to deal with stairs, and walked out onto the platform. Kojiro motioned towards a gift shop and muttered something about wanting to get his mother a souvenir before they left. Kaoru barely heard him. He was distracted by the fact that they could purchase flutes of champagne to drink while they observed the city from above. That was something they hadn’t been able to do last time.

The two of them got their champagne then meandered over to the observation area. They were so high up it was a bit intimidating for a second. That faded quickly enough as they looked around at the wondrous surroundings. Both of them quickly found themselves just a bit in awe of the sight.

A breeze tousled Kaoru’s hair playfully and he tucked the unruly strands behind his ear. Afterwards he took a sip of his champagne. The sun had already begun to set, leaving the sky an incredible blend of vibrant colors that’d make a lesser man weep.

“Wow, it really is romantic up here,” Kojiro said to no one in particular. “I can’t believe we didn’t notice it last time.”

There was a moment of silence before Kaoru finally muttered, “You’re not going to propose in the heat of the moment, are you?”

Kojiro jolted in surprise, nearly dropping his champagne in the process, and spilling the contents onto his shoes. Luckily, he managed to catch the flute before disaster befell them. He looked at Kaoru in disbelief and exclaimed, “What! No! Why? Are _you_!”

“Of course not!” Kaoru shrieked.

“Then why bring something like that up at all… sheesh…” Kojiro grumbled. He pursed his lips together as he stared at the city below.

While Kaoru didn’t know at first, maybe it was because he just wanted to see this reaction. The tips of Kojiro’s ears were pink and that was accentuated by the dying light in the sky. Usually he was the one making others flustered, not getting flustered. Now he had a taste of his own medicine. Frankly, it was priceless.

Perhaps it was the fact that the sky was painted in warm tones, or maybe this location really was magical as others claimed, but there was suddenly something Kaoru wanted to do. He made sure his voice was soft enough that it wouldn’t carry as he said, “There’s another thing we didn’t get to do last time we stood here.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” Kojiro asked.

Kaoru turned and looked up at him. As soon as the taller man turned his way Kaoru leaned up onto the balls of his feet, tilted his chin upwards, and kissed him. His lips lingered upon Kojiro’s warm ones for an extra second before he finally pulled away.

“Mm. A shame you didn’t do that last time with the lip ring and all.” Kojiro teased. He snickered when Kaoru slapped his pec halfheartedly. Even so, neither of them made the effort to put any space between themselves.

The two of them didn’t say anything else as they watched the sun disappear over the horizon. It was only after that when Kaoru tossed his head back, finished off his drink, and said, “We should get going.”

“We just got here…” Kojiro grumbled under his breath.

“I have to work tomorrow,” Kaoru reminded him.

Kojiro groaned in a wordless complaint. He attempted to finish off his drink only to remember that he’d spilled it earlier. He shook the empty glass and frowned.

“My working is paying for this trip, idiot.” Kaoru sighed and shook his head. He looked down at all the buildings and the way the lights within made them look like they were sparkling. Kaoru’s hand found Kojiro’s and he threaded their fingers together. He completely ignored the way his cheeks started to burn as he said, “After I finish up with the job, I’ll be all yours and we can do whatever you want.”

Kojiro squeezed his hand gently. He also kept his gaze upon the city below as he replied, “I like the sound of that.”

**Author's Note:**

> SK8: so anyway cherry and joe canonly went to paris together lol  
> My brain: well if they don’t go back and happen to meet domestic edaurent whats the point
> 
> These are two of my big fav ships right now so getting to write them interacting was a delight X3
> 
> Kaoru youre secretly a romantic arent you... wanting to make the memories you two didnt get the chance to last time you went to Paris~ we see you. Kojiro will gladly oblige. Kaoru will never want to take another selfie in his life by the end of this X'D
> 
> Timeline wise this would be years after the canon events of grepre when a pair of former conmen finally get their shit together and work things out, both agreeing it was time to leave that life behind and settle down. They have enough money from past jobs that they don’t have to work but they choose to because it makes Makoto happy and _that_ makes Laurent happy <3
> 
> [Mon amour = my love, mon ange = my angel, fidanzato = fiancé] french, french, italian


End file.
